Justin Bieber, "Peaches"
Courtesy PhotoJustin Bieber’s pop/soul jam “Peaches” (featuring Daniel Caesar and Giveon) broke a Grammy record that was established just last year by Beyoncé’s “Black Parade” — the song of the year nominee with the most credited co-writers.
Eleven songwriters are nominated for their work on “Peaches.” That’s two more than received nominations for co-writing “Black Parade,” which was nominated for song of the year in late 2020.
In the early decades of the Grammy Awards, songs nominated for song of the year were the work of just one or two, and occasionally three, songwriters. That has changed dramatically as “songwriting by committee” has become more commonplace.
Final round voting for the 64th annual Grammy Awards is underway. Voting members of the Recording Academy have until Wednesday, Jan. 3, at 6 p.m. PT to cast their ballots. The winners will be announced on the Grammy telecast on Jan. 31.
Here are the songs that reflect the evolution in the prevailing songwriting method – the first songs with this many writers to receive Grammy nominations for song of the year.
Four: In 1981, Christopher Cross’ “Arthur’s Theme” became the first song of the year nominee that was written by four songwriters. Cross co-wrote the sprightly film song (which won an Oscar) with Peter Allen, Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager.
Five: In 1994, Sheryl Crow’s “All I Wanna Do” became the first song of the year nominee written by five songwriters. Crow co-wrote the jaunty tune with David Baerwald, Bill Bottrell, Wyn Cooper and Kevin Gilbert.
Seven: In 2000, Destiny’s Child’s “Say My Name” became the first song of the year nominee written by seven songwriters. The four members of what was then a quartet — Beyoncé Knowles, Le Toya Luckett, LaTavia Roberson and Kelendria (Kelly) Rowland — co-wrote the feminist-themed song with LaShawn Daniels, Rodney Jerkins and Fred Jerkins III.
Eight: In 2018, Bruno Mars’ “That’s What I Like” became the first song of the year nominee written by eight songwriters. Mars co-wrote the pop/soul jingle with Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Philip Lawrence, Ray Charles McCullough II, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus and Jonathan Yip. (“That’s What I Like” is the only one of these songs that won the award.)
Nine: In 2020, Beyoncé’s “Black Parade” became the first song of the year nominee written by nine songwriters. Beyoncé co-wrote the celebration of Black culture and activism tune with Denisia Andrews, Stephen Bray, Shawn Carter (Jay-Z), Brittany Coney, Derek James Dixie, Akil King, Kim “Kaydence” Krysiuk and Rickie “Caso” Tice.
11: In 2021, Justin Bieber’s “Peaches” (featuring Daniel Caesar and Giveon) became the first song of the year nominee written by 11 songwriters. Bieber co-wrote the song with his featured artists, who write under the names Ashton Simmonds and Giveon Dezmann Evans, as well as Louis Bell, Bernard Harvey, Felisha “Fury” King, Matthew Sean Leon, Luis Manuel Martinez Jr., Aaron Simmonds, Andrew Wotman and Keavan Yazdani.
Not for the first time, Moby is speaking out against Donald Trump’s administration with clear frustration.
“The U.S. is collapsing under a deeply corrupt and shockingly ineffective administration,” the longtime electronic musician shared on social media. “These are unbelievably dark times.”
Moby went deeper into his thoughts through a video message, where he explained that people outside the United States keep asking Americans what is actually happening in the country.
“So many of my friends outside the United States keep asking me, ‘what the hell is happening over there?’ And honestly, we don’t even know,” he said. “The country is being controlled by one of the most corrupt, dangerous and incompetent administrations imaginable. Nobody fully understands what’s happening right now. These are very dark times in America.”
Moby joins a growing list of artists publicly criticizing Trump and MAGA politics, including Bruce Springsteen, Jack White, Eminem and Billie Eilish.
Earlier this year, Moby uploaded another statement to social media where he addressed how people should respond following the killing of Alex Pretti by ICE agents in Minneapolis. “The real question isn’t whether people should feel horrified or outraged by what’s happening in the United States,” Moby explained in the Jan. 26 clip. “The question is what are we actually going to do about it?”
The musician and activist also encouraged people to protest, saying demonstrations are a constitutional right and something he believes Trump’s administration is attempting to weaken.
In the end, he urged people to vote regularly, “not only during the upcoming midterms, even though those matter, but also in every special election throughout the year.” He also encouraged supporters to “stop giving money to the scumbag corporations backing Trump and ICE. We all know who they are. Boycott them.”
His newest remarks arrive as the U.S. Justice Department unveils a nearly $1.8 billion compensation fund for Trump allies who claim they were unfairly investigated. At the same time, the Strait of Hormuz remains shut down following military action launched by the U.S. and Israel against Iran in late February without approval from Congress, leading to rising gas prices across the globe.
Throughout his independent music career, Moby has earned 10 entries on the Billboard 200 along with two songs on the Billboard Hot 100 and an enormous catalog of sync placements. Overseas, particularly in the United Kingdom, he is viewed as one of the defining artists of his era. He scored two No. 1 albums there with Play from 1999 and 18 from 2002, alongside 18 top 40 singles and two nominations for Best International Male at the BRIT Awards.
Check out Moby’s newest social media post below.
